Introduction. The long-term event-free survival of patients with high-risk neuroblastoma (NB) receiving intensive complex therapy according to current russian standard do not exceed 40 %. Also, there is no standard tactics in patients with primary resistant and relapsed disease, most of them die due to disease progression. While, anti-GD2 immunotherapy (IT) proved to be effective in patients with high-risk NB, in Russian Federation this method is not generally available. There are currently two pilot studies ongoing in Raisa Gorbacheva Memorial Institute aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of anti-GD2 antibodies in high-risk NB patients. Aim of the study – describing a single-center experience of anti-GD2 IT in primary high-risk NB patients and patients with primary resistant and relapsed disease. Materials and methods. A total of 20 patients received anti-GD2 antibodies, 16 of them were included into pilot trials. The median age at IT initiation was 5 (3–17) years. In 13 cases the therapy was initiated in patients with high-risk disease after auto-HSCT, in 3 cases – in patients with 1st systemic relapse of primary resistant disease after 2nd-line therapy and haplo-HSCT, in 1 case – in patient with 2nd chemosensitive relapse after haplo-HSCT. Also, 3 patients with progressive chemoresistant disease received anti-GD2 antibodies as monotherapy (n = 1) or in combination with chemotherapy (n = 2) as salvage regimen. Results. Patients receiving anti-GD2 antibodies after auto-HSCT retain response to therapy in 11 of 13 cases with a median follow-up period of 15 (6–27) months, in 2 cases there was disease progression during or immediately after IT cessation. Both patients with disease progression responded well to salvage therapy. Two of 3 haplo-HSCT recipients with prior good response to 2nd-line therapy are currently in remission 16 and 36 months past haplo-HSCT, one patient progressed 55 months after transplantation. A patient with 2nd late relapse after haplo-HSCT currently maintains remission on IT. Both patients with chemorefractory progressive disease did not respond to IT and died due to disease progression. IT was characterized by acceptable toxicity. In most cases it was complicated by Gr 1–2 fever, rash or neuropathic pain effectively controlled by supportive therapy. However, three patients had signs of neurotoxicity requiring therapy termination in one case. Conclusion. Dinutuximab beta IT is characterized by acceptable toxicity. With a median follow-up of 18 (6–59) months the majority (14 of 17) patients receiving anti-GD2 antibodies as maintenance therapy after auto- or allogeneic HSCT retain response. However, we did not observe any response in patients with progressive chemorefractory disease.

Background. Ewing sarcoma (EWS) is a second most common pediatric bone tumor. About one quarter of all patients belong to a high-risk group characterized by a poor prognosis. In spite of high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) with autologous hemopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) being traditionally viewed as a possible option for high-risk patients, there is stills no consensus on indications for this method in EWS patients. Study objective: to evaluate the HDCT effectiveness and most important prognostic factors in a prospective cohort of high-risk EWS patients. Materials and methods. A total of 73 EWS patients receiving treatment in R.M. Gorbacheva Memorial Institute were included in the study. All patients were characterized by one or several high-risk features: local (primary tumor volume >200 ml, axial localization, poor response to chemotherapy; n = 55; 76 %), primary disseminated disease (n = 58; 80 %), first chemoresponsive relapse (n = 7; 9 %). All patients received a myeloablative consolidation regimen consisting of busulfan 16mg/kg and melphalan 140mg/m 2 . In patients with primary disseminated disease an additional evaluation according to risk scale by R. Ladenstein et al. was performed. Based on risk points all patients were stratified as standard (n = 20), high (n = 26), and ultrahigh risk (n = 12). Results. The 5-year overall and event-free survivalfor a whole studied cohort were 40 and 37 %, accordingly. In patients with high-risk localized disease the 5-year overall and event-free survival were 48 and 45 %, accordingly. The HDCT regimen was characterized by acceptable toxicity. The main non-hematologic toxicities were infectious complications (n = 61) and gastrointestinal tract mucositis (n = 31). One patient of 76 died due to treatment-related complications. The multivariate analysis revealed the following risk factors: therapy response (hazard ratio (HR) 2.2; p <0.01), bone marrow involvement (HR 5.0; p = 0.01), primary tumor volume (HR 1.9; p = 0.01), and number of bone metastases (HR 2.2; p = 0.05). The risk group determined by R. Ladenstein score was also a good predictor for outcome with only 8 % of ultrahigh risk patients surviving 5 years past auto-HSCT. Conclusion. HDCT with auto-HSCT may potentially improve treatment results in some high-risk patient subgroups. While risk scale may help to determine patients most likely to benefit from this approach, the outcome in ultrahigh risk patients are still dismal.

The combined treatment results of 122 pediatric (5–17 years) osteosarcoma patients receiving therapy in N.N.Petrov Oncology Research Institute in 1980–2010 were analyzed. Among the patients, 72,6% had localized form and 27,4% had metastatic disease. The median follow-up was 63,2 (13–378) months. Treatment results correlated with process dissemination, chemotherapy regimen and surgical procedure used. The best results were achieved in patients receiving organ-sparing surgery, which can be performed in, approximately, 80% of the patients.

The paper presents the results of a study of the ovarian reserve in young women who received treatment for malignant tumors in childhood and adolescence and are in complete clinical remission. The function of the reproductive system was evaluated by serum concentrations of gonadotropins, estradiol, anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and inhibin B. The results were compared to the treatment, patients' age at the beginning of therapy and at the time of the examination. AMH level in serum was the most informative indicator of ovarian reserve in patients treated for malignant tumors.

An analyzed cohort consists of 50 pediatric patients with osteosarcoma receiving combined therapy in N. N. Petrov Research Institute for Oncology (1999-2010). Thirty nine of them had localized disease, 11 patients had distant metastases. The treatment scheme included neoadjuvant therapy with cisplatin and doxorubicin, surgical treatment and adjuvant therapy depended on initial response and could include cisplatin, doxorubicin, high-dose methotrexate, ifosfamide, etoposide. Four-year overall and relapse-free survival in children with localized disease was 74.3% and 69.2% accordingly. In 62% of patients were performed organ-preserving surgical interventions, in 22 patients was performed endoprosthetics, in 4 patients the defect was replaced by a bone autograft on a vascular bundle. The effectiveness of initial treatment and secondary endoprosthetics were analyzed. Six patients with lung metastases received normotermic lung chemoperfusion, 4 of them are alive and disease-free for 8 to 24 months.

The observation of stromal gastric tumor of 12 years old girl has been investigated. The diagnostics was carried out on tumor biopsy taken by a laparoscopy. An evident edema of stroma caused "pseudo-papillary" organization of epithelioid cell neoplasm prevented the right diagnosis established only by immunohistochemical staining of CD117 and CD34 markers. The absence of mutations in C-kit and PGFRA genes uncovered by molecular-genetic analysis is typical for stromal gastric tumors in child. The next gastric resection allowed to estimate tumor appearance and localization, histological organization, and to repeat immunohistochemical studying. This observation confirmed the correctness of diagnosis and established high level of Ki67 proliferative activity (12-15%) determined prescriptions of target medicamental therapy.

The authors of the article note the high rate of pediatric disabilities in Russia and describe the experience of Russia’s first organization actively acting in the field of pediatric social care and palliation under the auspices of the Russian Orthodox Church since 2003, “Pediatric hospice”. The article describe in detail the goals and functions of the pediatric hospice, its structure, actual experience of its different branches and departments. Coordinated work of inpatient department and home care teams allows increasing the quality of life of children with disabilities.

Data are presented on 30 cases of video-assisted thoracoscopy for different intrathoracic neoplasms in children and adolescents. Indications and contra-indications for use for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes as well as possible complications and their prophylaxis are discussed.